Face from the Past
by RWingflyr
Summary: After his Wind Waker adventures, Link encounters a mysterious stranger.


Hello, RWingflyr here, bringing all you readers yet ANOTHER one-shot story. This time, it takes place at the end of Wind Waker. Enjoy. Don't forget about my other two one-shot Zelda stories, "A Sage's Love" and "Return of a Sage". 

Disclaimer: "The Legend of Zelda" and all its names, characters and places are copyrights of Nintendo.

Face from the Past 

The sun was an artist, painting deep hues of orange and pink across the sky as it settled over the western horizon. A fair wind blew merrily across Outset Island, warning the odd-colored crabs to scuttle beneath the sand. The young hero sat on the small wooden bridge that linked the two sections of the island together; admiring the vast ocean he was a part of.

"Link!" Aryll, Link's younger sister, shouted. "Grandma wants you to come inside before it gets dark!"

"Okay, I'm coming!" Link shouted, lying as he did so. He gazed down at his reflection as he reminisced his amazing adventure. He smiled, thinking of all the places he had been to – Dragon Roost Island, Windfall Island, even the Forsaken Fortress. Yes, his exploits were quite remarkable, but a part of him frowned. He thought of the Rito postmen. Who would be Valoo's attendant now that Medli was the sage of the Earth Temple? The temple was peaceful now that the monsters inside had been vanquished and it was just due east of Outset; Link could take one of the boats and sail over there to see her.

_"No, I can't do that! She's a sage now and I have to respect her duties as one."_ Link thought. Makar was far to the north so Link thought about his tribe, the Koroks, as well. They and the Great Deku Tree would surely miss him.

Link looked up from his thoughts and stared at the sky. The orange merged with the dark blue of the nighttime atmosphere; the moon shining its radiance on the peaceful community. He stood up to head home but caught an irregular figure in the distance. Even with the moonlight, Link couldn't decipher who or what the figure was. Whatever it was, it was slowly moving toward the island. Link raced to the lookout in order to get a better glimpse of the figure. He saw a person rowing an old logboat.

_"I better not shout. I don't want to frighten the person."_ Link hurried down the ladder and ran back to the other side of the island where the boat was heading. He waved his hands, trying to attract the strange figure. No such luck.

"Psst!" He finally caught the figure's attention. It turned toward the shore and stepped out into the shallows. Link assisted the strange person in pulling the boat onto the shore.

"Oh, thank you, kind boy." The figure said, not looking at Link. The voice was feminine and sounded quite young. She was wrapped in a ragged brown cloak with a hood over her head. Tattered green boots covered her feet.

"Are you okay? You're not lost, are you?" Link asked.

"I'm fine, thank you." The stranger replied. "For some strange reason, something told me to come here. I've never even been here before."

Link looked at his house then back at the traveler. "My name's Link. Would you like to come in? The breeze gets a bit cold at night."

She thought for a moment. "Thank you for your hospitality, but I will stay out here. I feel quite comfortable out here." She sat down on Link's wooden porch, letting her feet hang down. "However, if you could fetch me something to eat, I would greatly appreciate it. I am a bit hungry."

Link disappeared behind the door and moments later came back holding two bowls of hot soup. He handed the girl one of them and sat down next to her.

"Where did you come from?" Link asked. The girl responded by drooping her head and covering her shadowy face with her childlike hands.

"I can't say." She whispered. "It used to be a wonderful place to live and be happy, that is, until…he…came along."

"Ganondorf?"

The girl nodded and resumed eating. "He destroyed everything. He enslaved everyone." She began sobbing quietly. "We prayed and prayed for our hero to save us, but he never came." Link placed an arm over the girl's far shoulder, hugging her gently; he could almost feel her depression leaving her. At last, the girl looked at Link; her eyes a deeper blue than the ocean itself. "But I can rest easy now that Ganondorf has been defeated and can no longer threaten this peaceful land. Thank you, Hero of Winds."

With a shocked expression on his face, Link staggered backward, almost falling over. "Whoa! H-h-how do you know who I am? I don't even know you!"

The girl calmly smiled at him. "Please, don't be alarmed. The voice of the Hero of Time told me to seek out the one who had ridden the foul evil from this world." She snuggled close to Link, holding his closest hand and enclosing it in hers. "He wanted someone to thank the Hero of Winds for him, for his courage and bravery."

As if in response to the girl's touch, Link's hand began to quiver. It glowed and suddenly the Triforce of Courage gleamed upon it. "See? You ARE the one he told me to search for. Thank you so much." The girl's soft lips touched Link's cheek, causing him to mumble several incoherent words in response. The cloaked girl just giggled.

"You're so funny! You remind me so much of him!"

That last sentence caught Link's attention. "What did you say?"

"I said you remind me…of…." The girl covered her mouth, realizing her blunder.

"How do I remind you of him?" Link demanded. "And what do you look like? I can hardly see your face."

The girl grinned sheepishly. "Because", she grabbed the hood of her cloak and slowly drew it behind her head. Her bountiful emerald tresses fell loosely down to her neck, emphasizing the beautiful young face. "I knew him. Personally."

Link was dumbfounded. "B-b-b-but you're so…so…."

"Young?" the girl smiled at him, finishing his sentence.

"How can you possibly know him?" Link asked, flabbergasted. "The Hero of Time lived a long time ago! You couldn't have been born yet!"

The girl sighed. "Are you aware of who the Kokiri are?"

"No, I'm afraid I don't."

She sighed again. _"This boy is such a nut!"_ "The Kokiri was a race of forest children that lived in Hyrule long ago. Because they were Kokiri, they were incapable of aging. Hundreds of generations could pass and not one of the Kokiri would age a day." The girl looked at the starry sky. "I am one such Kokiri."

Link was still not convinced. "Look, I appreciate you telling me all this, but how can I believe you with no evidence?"

"You've met Fado, haven't you, at the Wind Temple? My knowing that should be evidence enough." She returned Link's sapphire stare. "But I am more than a Kokiri, Link."

"Then what are you?"

The girl's smooth hands grasped Link's face. "Look at my face. Where have you seen my face before? I know you have."

Link thought hard. "Sorry, I don't recognize you from anywhere."

"Think harder!" Her voice was louder than usual. "I know you've been inside Hyrule Castle. I was with you in the room where the Master Sword lay, Link. THINK HARDER."

Link stared at the girl's face harder this time and carried the image of it through his thoughts of when he removed the Master Sword. He tried his hardest to remember every aspect of that room: the statues, the windows…

The windows…

Link's mouth hung open in astonishment. "You! You're one of the…!"

"Yes, I am." The girl smiled brightly. "I am Saria, sage of the Forest Temple of Hyrule."

"But how can you be here?" Link asked, stupefied. "Everyone drowned with Hyrule."

Saria stood up and strolled over to the porch that overlooked the ocean. Link followed her. "When our hero didn't return during Ganondorf's rampage, Ganondorf destroyed all the temples that the sages were supposed to protect, even the Temple of Time, which was the sanctuary of the Sacred Realm. As long as evil was not present in the Sacred Realm, the sages' existence was not threatened. Ganondorf's dark magic allowed him to enter the Sacred Realm and do with it what he pleased. The Hero of Time did not show up to stop him, so Ganondorf transformed the Sacred Realm into his own cesspool of evil minions. We sages drew our power from our respective temples and with the temples destroyed, we were powerless against Ganondorf's magic." Saria gripped the wooden handrail with both malice toward the dark wizard and sadness and with as much strength as she possibly had. "I fled the Sacred Realm and Ganondorf's evil. The other sages weren't so fortunate."

"But still, how did you survive?" Link asked.

"I suppose the gods and goddesses of Hyrule felt pity toward me and spared my life. The first thing I remember seeing after Hyrule was flooded was one of those Korok spirits. That little short one with the musical instrument…"

"Makar."

"Yes, him. He was so cute! He saw I was a child of the forest and offered his tribe's assistance. They made me a boat out of the wood of the Great Deku Tree but they hid me with them until the oceans were safe. That's when the Hero of Time told me to find you. Now I'm here."

"Well," Link said, smiling, "now you're safe, so now you can live here with us! Right?"

Saria's bright face turned sad. "I wish I could. You have such a beautiful home."

Link desperately wanted the girl to stay. "Why not? You've done what you were told to do."

Saria looked away, unable to look Link in the face. "I'm dying."

Link tried to cheer her up. "Don't worry. We have someone here who can help…"

"No." Saria held up a hand. "What I suffer from cannot be treated." She held on to Link's arms. "When I became a sage, my life force became that of the Sacred Realm. As long as the Sacred Realm existed, sages were immortal. When Ganondorf conquered the Sacred Realm, my immortal life force ceased, and even though Ganondorf's gone, time continues to eat away at my life because the Sacred Realm doesn't exist anymore. I'm glad I found you when I did…" Suddenly, with a silent gasp, Saria collapsed, clutching her chest.

Link immediately knelt down beside her and held her head up. "Saria, what's happening?"

Saria's voice was weak. "I'm dying, Link."

Link hugged her frail body close. "What do you want me to do?"

Saria shivered from the cold breeze. "Take me down to the ocean, Link."

Link carefully picked the girl up and ran as fast as he could toward the ocean. Saria cringed as more pain shot through her body; huddling close to Link's tunic like a baby to its mother. She motioned for him to set her down.

"Saria, I wish I could help you." Link hugged the girl.

Saria smiled. "I know, Link." She winced from more pain. "But now it's time for me to rest." She gently touched Link's face with a soft hand. "At least I got to see him again."

Link gave Saria a confused look. "See who?"

"The Hero of Time."

Saria slowly walked toward the lapping water; her hair billowing out behind her from the brisk wind. She continued forward into the small waves. Halfway in, Saria took one final glimpse of the Hero of Winds before proceeding to rest eternally beneath the sea.

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Check out my other two Zelda fics! Please R/R!!!


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